Neon traffic control light



t- 5- H. L. BLAcKWooD 2,013,991

NEON TRAFFIC CONTROL LIGHT Filed April 6, 1954 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY I v I I a ammv HLBZaclcwood Patented Oct. 29, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NEON rmmrro CONTROL men'r Harry L. Blackwood, Sacramento, Calif. Application April 6, 1934, Serial No. 719,305

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in traffic control light of that type ordinarily used by public officers such as in connection with police patrol cars, ambulances, fire apparatus and the like where front lights of distinguishing characteristics are used in order to command the right of way and otherwise control traflic.

The principal object of the invention is to provide for the use of a neon lightto replace the now ordinarily used incandescent lamps. The amount of energy stored in the average battery of a motor vehicle is of course limited and where the heavy incandescent lamps are used in connection with the special lenses of red or other colors there is a 5 very large consumption of electrical energy and at the same time a limited amount of display is possible.

By the use of a neon light however there will be a minimum consumption of energy and furthermore a much more effective spread of the control light may be had. Carrying out the object of my invention therefore I aim to provide a neon light circuit under ready control of the operator of the vehicle and arranged in such a circuit with the battery and a specially provided interrupter mechanism as to provide the greatest efiiciency at minimum cost.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claim.

In the drawing similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a fragmentary portion of the front end of a motor vehicle showmg the preferred form of installation of my improved neon tube traflic control light.

Figure 2 is a fragmentaryportion of the light in section showing how it fits around from the front end of the top of the car to along the top nected therewith.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on a line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view through the frame of the vehicle showing themanner of mounting my interrupter motor in a flexible manner into such frame.

Figure 5 is a sectional view of the interrupter taken on a line 5-5 of Figure 4.

side thereof and how the wiring circuit is con- Figure 6 is an end view of the interrupter with the enclosing cap removed.

Figure 7 is a plan view of my improved neon light showing the complete circuit by which it is mounted in operative position on the car and in 5 connection with the battery and interrupter mechanism.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawing, the numeral I designates the top of the forward end of a motor 10 vehicle.

My improved lamp is applied along the front of the top of the motor vehicle I and along the sides thereof, and comprisesgenerally a channel shaped housing A. Where this housing extends along the 15 sides of the vehicle and curves into the front edge thereof this housing A is made in the form of a rigid cast element 2 andalong the front of the *car the housing is formed of pressed metal 3 cut The tube 5 may be made up for red or green light 25 I as may be found most desirable for the particular use to which it is to be put and the back of the housing A is correspondingly colored to give the best light effect.

Also the tube 5 would be so positioned relative 30 to the lines of focus as to diffuse all of the light outwardly without having any direct beams or cross beams to confuse the vision of other vehicles or persons approaching the car equipped with my improved control light. 35

The tube 5 at the free terminals of the castings 2 is fitted into insulation elements I made of bakelite or the like, which in turn are completely housed in a suitable cap 8 in order to make them completely water and dust proof as is 0 essential to eflicient operation. By suitable connections 9 the current wires I8 and Illa are connected with the tube 5. The wire Illa leads to the ground, and the wire I0 leads to the step up coil I I. One terminal of this coil I I is connected 45- by a wire I2 with the battery I3. The other wire M leads from the coil l I to the interrupter mechanism indicated in the circuit in Figure 7 generally as I, and shown in detail in Figures 4 to 6 of the drawing. This interrupter mechanism com- 60 prises a motor shell 15 around which is clamped a band I6 of belting or similar flexible and noise deadening material. The ends of this band are bent outwardly and are bolted against a flat pad ll of similar material, which in turn is bolted to the frame I8 of the vehicle. This flexible connection allows the interrupter mechanism complete freedom of motion relative to the frame of the car so that it will not be subject to the strains and variations in position of the frame which might affect its efiicient operation, and also prevents motor sounds being transmitted through the frame.

Within the housing I 5 is a motor l9 which drives a shaft 20 on the outer end of which is an interrupter cam 2|. With the rotation of the shaft 28 this cam' "2| alternately engages an interrupter arm 22 which makes and breaks the contact points 23. One of these contact points is connected by the wire M with the coil II and the other by wire 25 to the ground. The motor is connected by a wire 24 with the battery and also connected to the ground wire 25. There is a switch 26 in the wire 24. C

When the operator of the vehicle desires to throwhis neon control light into operation he closes the switch 26. This establishes the current from the battery I3 to'the motor l9 and sets that motor in operation and this in turn sets in operation the make and break mechanism 1 which establishes interruption of the current to the neon tube 5 and causes such tube to become energized and displays the light as desired. This operation continues until the switch 26 is open when the motor ceases to operate the interrupter and the neon tube ceases to function.

It will be obvious that by a very simple arrangement of parts I have provided for a tramc control light which can be easily installed and operated on a motor vehicle at a minimum of cost'and a maximum of efficiency and which will be far superior in operation to the incandescent lamps now commonly used.

While the invention has been described as particularly adaptable to traflic control lights, it can be used successfully on stages, buses and the like where the neon tube could be green or other selected light in order .to show clearly 5 the clearance of the vehicle and so forth, and by certain adaptations the same structure could be used to illuminate the station designations given on such stages or buses.

From the foregoing description it will be read- 10 ily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the 15 device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a de parture from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention what I :0 claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A trafiic control light for a motor vehicle comprising a channel shaped housing and reflector member adapted to extend across the vehicle at 25 the front and above the windshield with the open side of the channel facing forwardly, outwardly facing channel shaped supports adapted to be secured to the sides of the vehicle on a level with said member and curving around the front of so the same.

HARRY L. BLACKWOOD. 

